What are YOUR Upside Down Trees?

EQ is more than reading or managing emotions. It's about being aware of your environment. That's why I often think I'd like to change the name of what is referred to as "emotional intelligence." Some have offered "emotional literacy", but I don�t think that covers it either.

I'm leaning toward something like "being aware, or hyper-aware, of your environment." It doesn't sound very glamorous but what I mean is that so many people go around the world not being aware of what's around them! Maybe you've seen these people. Up here in the northeast, they're the drivers who drive after a snow storm with only their front windshield brushed off. Every other part of their car is still piled with snow, but they get on the highway with only the ability to see in front of them. And if they aren't aware of their immediate physical surroundings I wonder how much they pay attention to what's inside their heads, inside the head of others, how they might be perceived, how they are acting.

I mentioned this to a friend who told me a story I call Upside Down Trees. There's a museum in Western Mass that hung a whole bunch of large! potted maple trees upside-down. These are exhibited right at the front door of the museum. Well, one day, my friend is at the front door of the museum paying his way in, when a man and his family walk up to the desk and ask "So, where are the upside down trees?" He had walked all the way from the parking lot to the museum's front entrance right past the upside down trees, and never even noticed them! (Really, you can't miss them; cut and paste this link into your address bar to see a photo of what I'm talking about: http://www.berkshires.org/story.php?f_id=9

Now I don't know for sure if this man could be called emotionally intelligent or not, but I do believe there must be a correlation between being aware of upside down trees and the ability to manage and use emotions in yourself and others as a source of energy, influence, growth and inspiration.

What are you not paying attention to in your immediate environment? Is it time to clean up clutter, paint a room, or clean up your checkbook? What are YOUR upside down trees?